Categories Library Jobs & Careers

Karen Schneider weighs in at TechSource on the recent happy news! This is what I’m talking about when I tell groups I speak with to “Never stop learning” and “Never stop dreaming.” http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/12/unsucking-the-opac-one-mans-noble-efforts.html Like the Endeca tea cozy—I mean, interface—for the NCSU catalog, the WPOPAC not only presents one type of solution for the “missing module” problem, but also emphasizes that the solutions for our problems can come from creative thinking inside the profession and reaching out to work done elsewhere. It’s the dawn of our self-actualization, LibraryLand!

http://blog.nekls.org/index.php/archives/301 I do still see some libraries prohibiting the use of instant messaging (IM). One of the reasons libraries have prohibited it is because of the need to install the Instant Messaging client on each public access computer. That, however, is no longer required. There are web-based tools that allow you to use IM without having to install software. My personal favorite is Meebo. It allows users to access their AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ or Jabber accounts, without needing to install any software. And it’s free! When you access Meebo, you will frequently see interesting notes from the […]

One of my students calls one of the large, urban local libraries doing research for group projects. He encounters this intriguing story: Librarian: Hello? ________ Public Library, may I help you? LIS753 Student: Hello, I’m working on a project for my library school class and I have a question. Librarian: Of course. LIS753 Student: Does the library have plans to start an IM reference service? Librarian: Oh God, No! Wow, not even a “We have heard of libraries doing that but we haven’t looked into yet..” or anything! Shame on you, large, urban Illinois-located Public Library system!

Well, technology has produced a new savvy information consumer among the masses. These patrons, have become accustomed to having information delivered to them in whatever format they desire – whether that be in an email, an RSS feed, or even delivered to the door. Disappearing are the days when people actually go the library to find out the acidic content of an orange (one of my first reference questions asked in 1996) or what paper money is made of (another old favorite of mine). I am proud to say that this library (and this Reference department) does deliver content in […]

“To the librarian I once overheard saying, “It is my personal duty to make sure we have no typos on anything!” I must say: Don’t miss the forest for the trees, Dear Lady. Typos can be corrected, especially online, and focusing too much on those little details may lead to missing the big picture. You’re the one that staff may be e-mailing about, while they wait to launch the new wiki, you are still proofing the proposal for the wiki! A nimble organization can move quickly if not mired in proofing, re-proofing, and proofing one more time a policy change, […]

Thought-provoking and insightful article at Educause. http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm06/eqm0640.asp Policy Disconnects Drawing a clear line between technology and policy can be difficult. For example, how many of the characteristics of current libraries (identified by the list below) are driven purely by technology or by policy? These traits include: Mainly electronic text-based collections with multimedia content noticeably absent Constructed for individual use but requires users to learn from experts how to access and use information and services Library presence usually “outside” the main online place for student activity (MySpace, iTunes, Facebook, the campus portal, or learning management system) Note that comments are enabled, […]

Allen County PL is incredible! Checkout the phone training video! What a long way we’ve come from the days of pulling everyone into a library training room for step-by-step instructions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EramdKlwzS4

(Getting caught up on some posts here folks) A couple of weeks ago I spent some time in Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio Library Council Management and Administration Conference. My Opening General Session was “The User-Centric Library: What OCLC’s User Perceptions Report Means for Public Libraries,” where we mined some of the OCLC data and discussed ways to impriove the library brand, break down those pesky barriers and adopt a 2.0 philosophy (some of my talking points I’ve used in other talks as well). Another role I played was to move in and out of the various sessions and look […]

I LOL’ed this morning as I pack for the trip back to the cold north: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQNK4xSaTc4 David – has that snazzy new camera inspired you to video blog more and more?